S Korea’s Kia Motors to recall 145,000 vehicles in the US for faulty airbags
21 Jan 2012
South Korean carmaker Kia Motors Corp, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motors, is recalling more than 145,000 vehicles in the US due to faulty airbags.
Kia Motors is recalling the 2006 - 2008 Optima sedan and the 2007 -2008 Kia Rondo over faulty airbag on the driver's that could prevent it from deploying during an accident.
The recall is affecting 95,569 Optima sedans and 50 Rondo crossovers, the Seoul-based automaker said in a statement.
Kia Motors, South Korea's second-largest automaker after Hyundai, said that the clock spring contact assembly on the driver's airbag supplemental restraint system might deteriorate over time, which could cause the air bag to fail to deploy in a crash.
The airbag warning lamp on the instrument panel would light up to indicate the damage, it added.
The carmaker said that there have been no reports of injuries related to the flaw so far, and owners of faulty cars will be notified in March to rectify the problem.
It appears that the airbags were supplied by the same manufacturer to both Kia Motors and Hyundai as Hyundai had issued a similar recall last September for its 2007 - 2008 Santa Fe and Veracruz crossovers.